


white picket fence

by honey_wheeler



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 08:02:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/235908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honey_wheeler/pseuds/honey_wheeler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her voice sounds nervous and she reminds herself to breathe. This is no big deal; she practically killed him a couple of weeks ago, this is just a new house. And she’s only renting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	white picket fence

**Author's Note:**

> In which Denny doesn't die after all.

When he’s discharged she’s there to pick him up. He fusses and balks at the wheelchair and snaps at her when she adjusts the footrests, but she doesn’t take it personally. He’s entitled to be a bit stir-crazy. She’s already moved out of Meredith’s and into a little blue house on the other side of the sound, with a porch and a breakfast nook and a garden that only needs a little bit of attention to flourish.

He hasn’t seen it. She hasn’t even shown him a picture. Everything’s moving so fast, she never had time to take one. She hopes he’ll like it, though. It’s easy to forget that she really doesn’t know him all that well. For all she knows he’d rather live on the 12th floor of an apartment building or in a trailer or in a barn. Neither of them has explicitly said that they’re moving in together, but he doesn’t have any family around to speak of and he's still not all that stable, so it seems to go without saying.

She pulls up in front and kills the engine. “Well.” Her voice sounds nervous and she reminds herself to breathe. This is no big deal; she practically killed him a couple of weeks ago, this is just a new house. And she’s only renting. “This is it, we’re here.” He makes a rumbling noise in his throat. He isn’t looking at the house. He’s looking at her.

“The blue one,” she clarifies and points over his shoulder. He doesn’t turn and look. He just smiles at her.

“I like it,” he says.

*****

She’s invited everyone over for a housewarming-slash-welcome-home-Denny party. It’s been ages since she’s felt like this, all possibility and hope and held breath. Like she’s 7 again and it’s her birthday and there’s a dollhouse shaped present waiting in her room when she wakes up. Maybe she should have waited until he’d settled in, until he was stronger, but she’s too excited. She wants life to start now, not tomorrow or the next day.

It’s all still pretty bare. George and Callie helped her move her things over on their day off and Meredith told her to take the bed from her room with her.

“I’ve never liked that bed anyway,” she’d claimed. “I’d just give it to Goodwill, go on and take it. Please, you’d be doing me a favor.” Izzie had just nodded and hugged her impulsively, trying not to cry. It’s a nice bed, with a dark wood frame. It’s the most grown-up looking thing she’s ever had that wasn’t a pair of shoes.

Denny looks around at the front yard while she fumbles with the keys. “The lawn’s kind of patchy and I need to plant some flowers. Hydrangeas, maybe. Do hydrangeas grow up here? It needs some color.”

“Iz.”

“What?”

“You’re all twitchy and swirly again.” He smiles when he says it.

“You sure like calling me that.” She has the door open and she pushes it open with her arm. She tries to make him go first, but he nods her in.

“I sure do.”

It seems even more bare and unfinished with him in it. “I don’t have much stuff in here yet,” she tells him. “I thought about getting some posters, but….” She gestures lamely at the blank walls, not sure what her point is. “And I was going to unpack my books but there’s no bookcase for them anyway. You like books, right? I don’t even know if you like to read. This is insane.”

“Izzie,” he laughs. “Come here.” She hesitates.

“I’m not used to seeing you standing up,” she admits.

“I could lie down if you’d prefer,” he offers, and she laughs. He catches her wrist and tugs. She fits right under his chin. It makes her smile. It’s something she’s wondered about and it seems strange that she’s only finding out now.

They stand there for a minute. She can hear his heart thudding under her cheek and it makes the cold fear that lodged in her guts weeks ago finally go away completely.

“I think we should get a dog,” she tells him. She doesn’t know how she can tell he’s smiling, but she can and he is.

“I’ll build a fence out in the front yard for him,” he says.

“Yeah,” she agrees. “A white picket fence.” He squeezes her, so tightly she almost can’t breathe, but she doesn’t care.

*****

She hears him come into the kitchen while she’s slicing cheese and arranging crackers on a plate. She looks at him over her shoulder. He’s wearing a dress shirt and slacks, but that’s about the only concession he’s made for the party. The shirt is untucked, the sleeves are rolled up, and the first few buttons are undone. She can see the hair on his chest, dark against the white vee of the shirt. She presses too hard with the knife and sends the chunk of cheese flipping across the counter.

“You look nice,” she says, fetching the errant piece of cheese and inspecting it for cleanliness, though she’s not sure how much she can see at the moment. It’s a bit hard to concentrate.

“Thanks.” How does she always forget exactly how his voice sounds until she hears it? “So do you.” She smiles and turns back to the counter.

“Everyone will be here in a half hour or so. I think you’ve met everyone who’s coming. Meredith, George and Callie, Christina and Dr. Burke. Oh, except Finn. He’s a vet, Meredith’s dating-“ His hands close over her shoulders and she jumps. She hadn’t realized he’d come so close. He makes a questioning noise and she tries to continue.

“Dating. Um. Meredith’s dating him. He’s a vet.” She’s holding a sleeve of crackers. Her hands are shaking, making the cellophane wrapper crinkle, so she puts it down.

“You already told me that.” His mouth is on her neck now, his body solid and warm against her back. She can feel his nose against the sensitive skin behind her ear and she shivers, curling towards him. She’s glad she wore her hair up.

“I did?” He makes an affirmative sound. “I did. Okay. So, um. He’ll….he’ll be here.” His tongue is touching her skin now, his teeth are on the edge of her ear. Was she talking? What was she saying?

He wraps his hands around her upper arms and turns her roughly, pushing her up against the counter. It bites into her back, probably wrinkling her dress. She flexes her hands on the edge, looking up at him and reminding herself to keep breathing. He makes that noise again, the rumbley one that comes from deep in his throat and makes her stomach clench like a fist. His hands are on her hips, his rough fingertips snagging the soft material and sliding it across her skin. He smells like soap and something spicy. Like a man. She feels like she’s never known an actual man before. She swallows hard.

“Denny.”

“What.” His thumbs are moving back and forth, right on her hipbones. It takes her a second to remember what she was going to say.

“Um. I have to finish putting food out.”

“Mmhmm,” he answers, and steps closer. She can feel the heat of his body now, pressing on her like a living thing. He tightens his hands on her hips and boosts her up to the counter. She puts her hands down to steady herself and catches the edge of the platter, sending crackers everywhere.

“Denny, the food.” He’s stepped between her knees, forcing them apart with his hips. Her skirt inches up her thighs and he catches it under his hands, pushing it up even farther. His palms brush her skin and she jumps at how hot they are.

“The food can wait.” His teeth close over her collarbone and it’s all she can do not to moan.

“Your heart,” she tries. But she’s leaning into his mouth, tilting her head back to give him access.

“My heart’s fine, Iz. It’s other parts that concern me right now.”

“But….but everyone.” She swallows again, tries to focus. “Everyone will be. Um.”

“What?” She can feel him smiling against her neck. “Everyone will be what?” She’d hit him except she’s not sure where her hands went. She’s not sure if she still _has_ hands.

“Here. They’ll be here. Soon.” Oh, there her hands are. On his back. Under his shirt.

“Izzie?” His fingers have worked their way all the way up under her skirt now. They’re hooked in the elastic waistband of her underwear.

“Hmm?”

“Shut up.” And then he’s tugging, pulling them down her legs and she’s lifting her hips to help him and it’s a good thing she decided she didn’t have time to bake anything because it would definitely be burning by now.

His hands are on her thighs again, pushing, sliding. She flutters her hands nervously at the hem of her skirt but he brushes them aside impatiently and pushes his fingers to the tops of her thighs, his thumbs coming together to press against her and make her squirm.

If he weren’t holding her down she’d fly off the counter. Her hands clutch at his shoulders and it’s like they’re the only solid thing in the world, the only thing she can grab to keep from breaking free of gravity and flying into space. Words are tumbling from her mouth, low and urgent and desperate. _Please,_ she hears herself say. _Denny, please._ He doesn’t answer, just presses the heel of his palm against her and slips his fingers inside, making her jerk.

She’s surprised at how fast it happens. Not that she usually takes an eternity, but this…it’s like he’s barely touched her and she’s trembling and tensing and burying her face against the side of his neck when she comes. Like she’s fireworks or a rocket. Like he knows all her secrets.

It takes a while but she finally pulls away, hoping she won’t embarrass herself by slithering off the counter into a graceless heap on the floor. His lips are curved and his eyes are dark and he just watches her.

“You don’t have to look so satisfied with yourself,” she says, glad at least that her voice only trembles a little.

“Oh, I think I do.” He kisses her once and it’s soft and sweet, entirely unlike what he just did to her with his hands. He steps away from her and tugs down her skirt, leaving her perched on the counter. He stoops and snags her underwear from the floor between his fingers.

“I’ll take those,” she informs him tartly, holding her hand out palm up.

“Nope.” He grins, twirls them once on his finger before pocketing them and strolling out of the kitchen.

It’s ten minutes before she thinks her knees won’t give out if she hops down from the counter.

*****

She only has a few minutes to put herself into some semblance of order before people start arriving, but she manages. Her hair might be a little tousled, but it’s fashionable. And no one can tell she doesn’t have underwear on. As long as she doesn’t do a handstand and flash everyone, she should be fine.

The house seems warmer with everyone there, more like a home. Meredith brings wine and glasses. Finn tells her they have some puppies down at the office if she wants to come look at them. George and Callie have big pillows for the floor so everyone can sit, and Christina thrusts a potted plant at her as she walks in the door, Dr. Burke trailing behind her.

“It’s Mother-in-law’s Tongue,” she says. “It’s impossible to kill. I know, I’ve tried.” She only stiffens slightly when Izzie envelopes her in a hug. She puts the plant on the mantle and looks around at the house, at her friends gathered there, talking and laughing. It’s everything she thought being a real grown-up would be.

Denny catches her eye then from across the room. He smiles. She smiles back. And then his hand slides into his pocket and he raises an eyebrow. He pulls the underwear out just a little, just enough for her to see a flash of pink satin, and she flushes scarlet, sure her hair might catch fire from the heat of her cheeks. There’s that smug look again. It should annoy her, not make her shiver.

“You okay, Izzie?” Meredith appears at her elbow with two glasses of wine. She hands one to Izzie. “You look a little flushed.” Izzie takes the wine and gulps down half.

“I’m good. I’m fine.” She smiles at Meredith, touches her arm. Looks over at Denny. “I’m better than fine.”


End file.
